Machinists OK first contract at Sumner aerospace supplier

Machinists union members who work at AIM Aerospace in Sumner on Friday ratified their first contract, giving them an average first-year wage increase of 5.6 percent and improved benefits.

The new four-year agreement covers some 280 AIM workers, who fabricate air ducts and other components from composites. The company supplies both Boeing and Airbus, as well as subcontractors such as Spirit AeroSystems.

The AIM workers voted last July to join the International Association of Machinists (IAM) union, District 751.

The contract guarantees that all Machinists at AIM in Sumner will get immediate wage increases of at least 3.5 percent.

The union said management will compensate for unevenly distributed prior wage hikes with additional raises so that average hourly pay across the plant will go up 5.6 percent.

In the deal’s subsequent years, Machinists who have worked four or more years at the company will receive annual increases of 2.75 percent. Those with less than four years will get varying wage increases according to job classification.

In addition to the raises, the Machinists at AIM will receive $325 ratification bonuses, and the company and union agreed to discuss a new incentive pay plan.